Secretary Desk Make Over

It always catches you off guard; the moment you happen to step back take a look and say I need to do something about this right now. Even though you may be rearranging the dining room, trying to finish the playroom, and working on a valentine’s craft all at the same time, you halt all projects and start a new one.

Yesterday, this was my new project. I happen to be getting the little guy a snack turned around and saw this {yes, no color just red arrows} Even though I just got up from sitting on bench 3 minutes ago and I’d walked past at least 10 times in the last 30 minutes, something hit me and I had to fix this monstrosity stat. The problems from the top down; inaccessible storage boxes with stuff on top of them, folders pulled out and not put completely back, exposed wires {agh!}, Christmas gift stuck in the corner, a roll of toilet paper instead of running upstairs for the tissues, random chex cereal, shopping trip finds that need to be put away, messy paperwork thrown under desk so that it’s out of sight, and a bench cushion that’s on the to-do list to be recovered.

I pulled out an old metal farm basket that just happened to fit perfectly under the desk. Can I just tell you how much I ~love~ this basket and don’t know why I never tried it here before.

I put the storage boxes from the top shelf inside and tucked in the magazine holder, which I use to hold file folders. Now I can easily access these and put things away without pulling down a whole display…yeah!

The storage boxes are numbered so I can remember what’s inside {I just have the numbers down and thought they look better than labeled words}. They hold everything from receipts I need to keep to a few office supplies I don’t use on a regular basis. Great hidden storage.

Now that the top shelf was empty I needed something that I could use for storage and looked appealing. This reclaimed barn wood window box was the answer. I happen to be holding on to two of these beauties because I never wanted to use them outside. The chippy white paint and rustic look is screaming gorgeous to me.

I found this crown hanger at TJ Maxx a few weeks ago and for $1.50 had to snatch it up. One of the hangers was broken off but that was not a problem…I had a plan and this project was the perfect place to execute it.

I simply broke off the other hanger on the opposite side and attached it to the center of the window box ~ You can’t even tell it was suppose to have three hangers.

I placed two mercury glass finials on each side of the box and the top shelf was done.

The second shelf is mainly taken up by the computers cpu. It’s not that pretty but works for this space. I had just enough room to put the burlap bin {made from a diaper box, yes, really ~ tutorial here} and a basket on top for unpaid bills and unopened mail.

I have always disliked the area behind the monitor ~ It was plain and lacking color and style. I had two 8X10 canvases that fit perfectly on the ledge and filled in the empty space on each side of the monitor. I covered them with some extra fabric I had left over from the bench.

The fabric was just stretched across the canvas and stapled to the back.

Perfect little fill in

I picked up these ornate bookends a while back. A little paint and distressing and they become a great accessory to frame out the monitor.

This heavily discounted Waverly fabric was a great find at $6.00 a yard for the bench seat. It works well with my kitchen color palette and adds a little pretty to the space. I’ll have a tutorial for the cover up later this week.

The bench seat actually doubles as a file cabinet ~ simply by lifting off the top. It was purchased this way and fits perfectly under the secretary ~ how practical and clever of them.

I previously updated the doors by making them french memo boards. You can find the tutorial here.

Fresh and clean ~ so much better and practical then before.

The doors do shut though they are rarely closed because the computer is always on. I really don’t mind though keeping them open now especially when company visits. Everything has a place and that’s my key to staying organized. Enjoy!

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